Why Republicans are piling on Rand Paul, and more must-reads

Pile on Paul: How seriously are some Republicans taking the idea of a Rand Paul presidency? Pretty seriously, says this Politico piece. “Look at how far they’re going, to shut down his views on foreign policy,” the piece says, citing criticism in the past few days alone from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. John McCain and former Vice President Dick Cheney. More from Politico: “The pre-emptive strikes suggest that many in [the] GOP fear Paul is winning the foreign-policy argument with the American people — and that that could make him a formidable candidate in 2016.”

Run over: Conservative groups Heritage Action and the Club for Growth would like to see a highway bill get run off the legislative road. The bill, up for a vote in the House later Tuesday, extends transportation funding through May 2015. The Hill reports both groups are bashing the White House-backed bill for its use of “budget gimmicks” to fund road projects. “This bill uses budget gimmicks and fee increases to bail out a wasteful and inefficient program that shouldn’t even exist,” the Club for Growth said. Both groups said they would factor votes on the measure into their ratings of lawmakers.

‘Sputtering along’: Gridlock is hurting the economy, National Association of Manufacturers president Jay Timmons tells USA Today. “We’re sputtering along,” he says, blaming uncertainty created by Congress and the administration through regulations. “There are pockets of growth, but it is not growth, and it is not economic opportunity that is shared broadly by all Americans,” he says. Timmons said business interests need to back candidates and help counter the rise of “extremist” voices in both parties, from populists on the left to tea-party forces on the right.

Pot policy up to states: The Obama White House believes marijuana policy is a states’ rights issue, the White House said in opposing GOP-led legislation to prevent Washington, D.C. from using federal funds to decriminalize marijuana possession. As the Huffington Post reports, the legislation is aimed at blocking a recent D.C. law that lowers the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana to a fine. The White House’s statement won praise from the Drug Policy Alliance, whose director of national affairs said: “It is great to see the White House accepting that a majority of Americans want marijuana-law reform, and defending the right of D.C. and states to set their own marijuana policy.”

Obama hits the road:President Obama’s advisers say he has “cabin fever” and wants to be able to go for a walk. But his increasing forays out of the White House aimed at connecting him with average Americans could backfire, writes The Wall Street Journal. Republicans have argued he should be focused on a set of escalating foreign challenges and on immigration issues, not on fun excursions. For the president, the trips could both boost his spirits and perhaps his popularity.

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